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Petra Velzeboer

Mental Health Consultant

Spotify Presents: Killing It

13:00 - 14:00

Saturday 10 November

Discovery Theatre presented by Spotify

About Petra

Petra Velzeboer was born into the infamous Children of God cult where she was raised with the pressure of saving the world, with no formal eduction to speak of or resources on how to make it in the outside world. At 22 she moved to the UK pregnant, isolated from her family and support groups she tried as best she could to just be normal and fit into life on the outside. At 25, with 2 children and a boyfriend who went out to work, she experienced chronic isolation, depression and sank into alcohol dependence leading to suicidal ideation and destructive behaviours.

She gave herself a deadline to figure out if there was a way to be happy and fulfilled in life; she gave herself a year. She utilised this time to observe people, read and begin her education as a psychotherapist. She experimented on her own life in every form imaginable; from exercise, learning, meditation, joining support groups, asking people questions, attending events and practicing everything she learned on herself.

After the year passed she realised everything wasn't perfect but she no longer wanted to end it all and in 2012 she competed her MSc in Psychodynamics of Human Development.

Her career has spanned working with young offenders, with mental health charity's such as Young Minds, working as a Clinical Director of an EAP and running her own practice since 2009. she now runs a thriving mental health consultancy which includes training leaders in mental health awareness, advising organisations on their mental health strategy, executive coaching for leaders wanting to create healthy workplaces and giving keynotes on mental health, authenticity and creating the best place to work.